October 31, 1981
by OfTheFullMoon
Summary: Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black - once two good friends, now two enemies. When Voldemort's plan to wipe out the entire Potter family goes awry, the two wizards' paths bring them towards a final confrontation over Peter's betrayal.


**I do not own any of the characters. Credit for them and for some of the dialogue (taken from "The Prisoner of Azkaban") goes to J.K. Rowling.**

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><p>Peter Pettigrew paced the living room floor of his house in London. Back and forth, back and forth. He constantly glanced at the dark symbol on his left forearm, waiting for his summons. Outside, the moon glimmered in the night sky, illuminating the Muggle children and their parents traveling from house to house. Little did they know that on this particular Halloween night, the very real world of wizards was about to be shaken. And it was all Peter's fault. He knew this. Oh yes, he knew this very well. At this very moment, the Dark Lord was making his way to the house of James and Lily Potter to destroy their young son; the one who Voldemort believed would grow to be a very dangerous threat to him and his hold over the wizarding world.<p>

Back and forth, back and forth. Peter fought down the guilt that rose inside him. He had been their Secret-Keeper. He had been the one to betray the Potters into Voldemort's hands. He had sentenced his friends to death. He trembled at the thought, trying to find some excuse to justify what he had done. But the faces of the ones who had trusted him filled his mind instead. James, one of his best friends from Hogwarts…Lily, sweet, sweet Lily who had always been so kind to him…Harry, just a little boy, not even two years old. Peter hated himself for what he had done. But there was no way to fix things now. Now all he could do was wait for the Dark Lord's summons to hear of his victory.

A sudden pain stabbed Peter's arm. Gasping, he looked down at the mark. To his shock and horror, it was vanishing into nothing. Within seconds, it had disappeared completely. There was no reason for it to vanish! None at all! Unless…it wasn't possible…that the Dark Lord had been…_destroyed_? Never! But there was no other explanation for the mark's disappearance!

Peter clenched his fist and tried to compose his thoughts. There was only one thing to do – go to the Potters' house and see what had happened. If Voldemort was gone, so was his protection. His former friends would kill him and there was nowhere else to go if Voldemort had been destroyed. But first, he must make sure.

Peter apparated a few streets away from the Potters', shifting into his animal form and scurrying down the road. A sense of horror filled him as he came into view of the house. Part of it had fallen in, smoke was rising from the remains, and there was no sign of the Potters or the Dark Lord. He suddenly realized that a baby's cries were coming from the house. Harry had survived. There was no other sound to be heard from the ruins.

Peter sat in the shadows of a large bush, attempting to decide what to do. Voldemort was no more…the survival of the child showed that. But obviously, James and Lily had fallen, or else they would be rushing to their child this very moment. He could not return to either side now. He must go into hiding or face the cold darkness of Azkaban.

As Peter sat, whiskers twitching in indecision, he saw the large form of Hogwarts' gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, appear in the street and head towards the house.

Peter could hear Hagrid's sobs as he made his way through the rubble. Peter couldn't help shuddering with guilt as he watched Hagrid remove the limp bodies of James and Lily Potter and place them gently on the lawn.

Finally, Hagrid emerged with the Potter boy clasped firmly in his arms. Suddenly, the roar of a motorbike spilt the silence as Sirius Black drove into view. Peter saw Sirius leap off the bike and rush over to the ruins and begin speaking to Hagrid. The two raised their voices briefly, as if disagreeing. Then Sirius motioned towards his bike, and Peter watched as Hagrid mounted it and disappeared into the night with young Harry in his arms.

The traitor scurried off into the grass, debating what to do. Where could he go? Back home? It could be possible…if he remained in his rat form, no one would ever know he was there. No, that would be too risky. He would be better off grabbing a few of his belongings and going into hiding. Preferably somewhere several countries away.

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><p>Earlier that cool fall evening, Sirius Black had been making his way to Peter Pettigrew's house. He was still debating his decision to make Peter Secret-Keeper. Poor Peter. He had never been exceptionally brave or smart, and Sirius was afraid that he had put too much of a burden on his friend. If only Remus…no, he could no longer rely on his friend. The Order had come to the conclusion that Remus was the one slipping the Dark Lord information about the Potters. He could no longer be trusted with James' safety.<p>

Sirius parked his motorcycle in front of Peter's house and knocked on his door. There was no reply.

"Peter? It's Sirius – open up!" Still nothing.

Sirius pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at the door. "Alohamora."

The instant he entered the building, Sirius knew something was wrong. The lights were turned off, not a sound could be heard, and there was no sign of Peter.

"Peter?" Sirius called again. He couldn't ignore the strong sense of unease that was creeping over him. Peter was missing, yet there was no sign of a struggle. Sirius tried to reason with himself. Perhaps Peter had forgotten that he was coming and had decided to go out. Maybe he'd gone to visit James and Lily. It was also possible that he had gotten confused and had headed over to see Sirius; Peter never had been very bright. And yet Sirius felt that the answer to his questions lay in the fears he refused to acknowledge. That Peter could be dead, that maybe _he_ was the traitor they had been looking for…

Sirius thrust his wand back into his pocket and leapt onto his bike. There was only one way to find out…he must go to the Potters'.

As Sirius pulled into view of the house, he immediately knew the answer to his questions. The house lay half in ruins, smoke drifting into the night sky. He saw the large form of Hagrid standing on the lawn, holding something in his arms.

He ran over to the house in horror. There was no way Voldemort could have found them unless the Secret-Keeper had told him. And obviously, he had. Sirius felt sick. It was his fault. _He_ had been the one to switch places with Peter – he had as good as handed his best friend to the enemy.

"Sirius!" Hagrid greeted him. Sirius could see that the bundle he held was James' son, Harry. The boy peered up at him with Lily's green eyes as if asking what had just happened. Sirius turned from the child and looked back at the house. That was a mistake. The bodies of his best friend and his wife lay silhouetted on the lawn.

Hagrid put his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Don' look at 'em." He said gruffly. "Best ter remember 'em alive. Fought bravely, they did." He shook his head, unable to continue.

Sirius barely heard his words of comfort. James, _dead_! He seemed unable to turn away from the broken forms on the grass. Hagrid gently pulled him away, forcing Sirius to take in what Hagrid was saying.

"Will ya be alrigh', Sirius?" Hagrid asked. "I'd stay with ya, but I've got ter take Harry to Dumbledore. He's waitin' for me, he is."

Hagrid's words finally registered in Sirius' numb mind. Harry. His godson. "Give Harry to me, Hagrid," he said, forcing himself to speak calmly. "I'm his godfather, I'll look after him."

Hagrid shook his head. "I would, Sirius, but Dumbledore gave me strict orders ter bring Harry ter him. Dumbledore's goin' ter take him to his aunt and uncle's house."

"But they're Muggles!" Sirius said, raising his voice in frustration. "What do they know about raising a wizard?"

"I'm sorry, but it's got ter be them!" Hagrid said firmly. "Don' know why, but if Dumbledore says it's got ter be them, it's got ter be them!"

Sirius glared at Hagrid. _He_ should be the one watching over Harry, not some Muggles! He should be protecting James' son, if only to do one thing correctly in the job he had been given. Sirius glanced over at the bodies again. But he could not go against Dumbledore. And if everyone believed that _he _had been the one to betray James and Lily…

"Take him, then." He looked up at Hagrid, his voice almost pleading. "But please be careful, Hagrid! Watch over him for me."

"O' course I will. As if he was my own."

Sirius nodded, then, almost as an afterthought, continued. "Take my bike, Hagrid. It'll get you there faster."

Hagrid looked at him in surprise. "You sure, Sirius? I know how much ya love that thing…"

Sirius gestured sharply to the object in question. "Yes, I'm sure! Take it! I…I won't need it anymore."

"You're a good boy, Sirius." Hagrid said, tears forming in his eyes. "Harry would be proud to know he had such a godfather."

At his words Sirius looked even more miserable, if that was even possible. Proud? Ashamed is more like it. Some godfather he had turned out to be. Some Secret-Keeper. Some friend.

As Hagrid and Harry vanished into the night, Sirius turned back to the bodies. He knelt beside his best friend, trying not to cry. "I'm so sorry, James," he whispered. "I failed you. I did everything wrong. I trusted the wrong person. I should have known that Remus would never have betrayed us. It was Peter all along, but I couldn't see it." He looked up at the sky, feeling more alone than ever. "I'll watch over your son. I'll be there for him if I can. Maybe then I can do one thing right."

He rose to his feet, and walked away from the house. Any minute now aurors would be arriving and it would be best if he was not seen near the house. At least there was one thing he could do – he would find Peter. Some instinct told him to return to Peter's house – after all, when he first arrived he had been looking for a man, not a rat. He smiled grimly. His 'friend' had better have some good excuses.

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><p>Peter rushed around his house, throwing things together in a suitcase. He figured he only had a few minutes to make his escape. He doubted that it would take long for Sirius to figure out what had happened and to come looking for him. A sudden pounding at his door made him jump in fright. Peter shifted into his rat form and scurried downstairs. If he could just get to the back door…<p>

"Peter! Open up, Peter!" Peter groaned inwardly. Sirius.

Sirius slammed his fist against Peter's door, too full of rage to think. Drawing his wand, he blew the door backwards into the house.

"Peter Pettigrew! Show yourself!" Sirius turned slowly in the front room, wand at the ready. "You have a lot of explaining to do, my friend!" A sudden thought entered his mind. He whispered softly, "Homenum Revelio." A rat was outlined in a soft glow, vanishing through the kitchen.

Sirius was determined that the traitor would not escape. With a quick cry of "Accio!" Peter flew squealing into the room, falling at Sirius' feet. The furious wizard pointed his wand at his friend. "Alright, Peter…let's have a little chat."

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><p>Peter felt himself being forced into his human shape. A desperate plan was beginning to form in his mind. The Animagus' frightened brown eyes stared up at the burning grey one of the wizard standing over him.<p>

"S-Sirius…you've come for me, haven't you?"

"You bet, Peter. Did you really think you would escape?"

Peter scrambled backwards, inching for the door. "You couldn't be happy with murdering just one of your friends, could you? You have to come after every single one of them!"

Peter was trying desperately not to laugh as he saw the confusion cross his former friend's face, although he kept his expression pleading, making tears come to his eyes.

Sirius frowned at him. "_You _killed James, Peter. Not me. And yes, I _am_ going to kill you. It's no less than you deserve."

"Liar!" Peter wailed. "You murdered James! _And_ Lily! Even their little child! How could you betray them like that? And then you have the nerve to blame _me_!"

Sirius started to speak, but Peter kept going. "And what about Remus? Have you killed him too? Or is he next?" He pushed himself to his feet and backed out the door, pointing his wand at Sirius.

"It was you all along, wasn't it Sirius? _You_ were the spy everyone was looking for. It was you all along…and we TRUSTED YOU!" Peter sobbed in anguish.

The two stood facing each other in the street. The sun was coming up, tingeing the street with red. Several curious Muggles stood in the doorways of their houses or paused in entering their cars on their way to work.

"ME? You dare to blame ME?" Sirius cried in outrage. "I would have never betrayed my friends! Expelliarmus!" Peter's wand flew behind the cowering wizard.

"Liar!" Peter cried. He pretended to trip and fell backwards onto his wand. He grasped the thin stick in his hands, keeping them behind his back and making sure they were out of Sirius' view. With a quick spell, he sliced off a finger, hiding his pain behind false tears of sorrow for James and Lily. Now he just had to keep Sirius distracted for a few more seconds…

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><p>Sirius glared at his former friend. What was he playing at, blaming him? Peter's eyes were filled with tears as he yelled at Sirius.<p>

"James and Lily, Sirius! How could you?"

At that point, Sirius lost his temper completely. Thrusting his wand towards Peter, he flung a spell at him. A split second before he finished speaking, an explosion rocked the street, blowing a hole in the pavement three feet wide. Several of the curious Muggles who had been watching the exchange had been flung about – dead. There was no sign of Peter except for some torn fragments of cloth and a single bloody finger.

Sirius stood in stunned silence. He was sure he hadn't done that…he couldn't have. Sure, he meant to kill Peter, but he knew his spell hadn't been _that_ strong…had it?

Whatever had happened, Sirius knew he was in trouble now. A street blown apart in the presence of Muggles, several Muggles dead, and to all appearances, Peter Pettigrew dead as well. Sirius didn't know what happened to Peter, but he had a feeling that he hadn't killed him.

As he stood there, barely hearing the panicked cries of the Muggles around him, several loud cracks filled the air. The authorities had arrived.

"Don't move, Black." A cool voice said. Sirius turned slightly to see a wizard pointing a wand at him. "We know what you've done. Now drop your wand."

"I haven't done…"

"Save it for your hearing, Black," another wizard cut in. "There's enough evidence in this street alone to send you to Azkaban. And with the Potters dead and the testimonies of these Muggles," he shook his head. "I doubt you'll ever see the light of day again."

As Sirius let his wand fall to the ground, he felt himself start to break inside. The death of his best friend, Peter's betrayal, his own arrest…he couldn't believe the absurdity of it all.

He started to laugh. He laughed hysterically at the whole situation. The Potters handed over to Voldemort, the Dark Lord free and clear to grow in power, he was heading to Azkaban, Peter free of blame…Peter and the Dark Lord had won. Peter's plan had worked. There was nothing to do but laugh. And so he did.

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><p>Remus Lupin awoke early on the morning of November first to an owl tapping on his window. The young man yawned and blinked his eyes wearily, opening the window to let the owl in. He recognized Dumbledore's slanted handwriting on the front of the envelope and hastily opened it. As he skimmed the letter, his brown eyes widened in disbelief. Once he had finished reading, he stared blankly in front of him for a few seconds, then flew around his room, pulling his robes on as fast as he could.<p>

Both Wormtail and Prongs dead? Padfoot the traitor? Impossible. And yet the facts were written in Dumbledore's own handwriting. He had to see for himself.

He arrived at the remains of the Potters' house to see a crowd of witches and wizards gathered in the street. Remus could hear Dumbledore's voice above the crowd, telling everyone to please go home.

He shoved his way through the murmuring people to the front. "Professor!"

Dumbledore turned to face him. Remus had never seen him look so tired. "Ah, Remus. I take it you got my owl."

"Professor," Remus could hardly ask the question. "Is it true, what you said? About James and Lily?"

"I'm afraid so."

Remus gazed at the still smoking house. "But Harry survived, you said. What will happen to him?"

"He will go to live with Lily's sister and her husband. In fact, I took him there last night."

"The Dursleys? But Lily always said…"

"I know," Dumbledore held up a hand. "I cannot explain now, but it is very important that Harry go to live with them." He looked over his glasses at Remus. "Trust me."

Remus nodded, then forced himself to speak again. "And Peter's dead, too?"

"It certainly seems so. All anyone could find was some cloth and a finger."

Remus looked sick. Poor Peter. "And Sirius…he really…?" At Dumbledore's silent nod, Remus briefly pressed a hand to his face. "What will happen to him?"

"Ah." Dumbledore did not look at the anxious wizard in front of him, but turned his gaze to the smoldering ruins. "I'm afraid that Sirius Black will spend the rest of his life in Azkaban prison." He glanced at Remus' devastated face. "I'm sorry Remus."

The two stood in silence until Remus spoke again. "The bodies, Professor…of James and Lily…may I see them?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not. They have been removed and will be kept out of sight until their burial, which, I can assure you, you will be notified about."

"Thank you, Professor."

The elderly wizard nodded and resumed his silence.

Remus gazed at the house until he could take no more. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Dumbledore shook his head and looked at the young wizard kindly. "No, the best thing you can do is to go home and rest. The Order will probably gather within the next few hours. Wait until then." He sighed. "Then we shall all be busy, I think."

Remus turned to go, apparating directly outside of his house. He entered and shut the door, placing his forehead against its cool surface. What a nightmare. Two of the four Marauders dead, one turned traitor, and the other…the other got to watch his best friends' lives torn apart. What hope was there now for the future? Nothing had gone to plan. None of this should have happened…none of this at all.

"Curse you, Sirius." The young wizard whispered. "I should never have trusted you…_we_ should never have trusted you. How could you do this? And why didn't any of us see what you really were?" A single tear slipped from his eye and fell to the floor. "After everything we've been through…_why_? We were a family…"

Remus got no answers to his questions. There was nothing left but silence. Silence and the echoes of the past – bittersweet tormentors to sharpen the questions that so desperately needed answers. But there were no answers. Not now. Not for anyone.


End file.
